I hope everyone had a great weekend! Today I’m sharing three novels that are on my radar and will be watching closely. I’m extremely interested in the premises and loving the covers!
The Preserve by Ariel S. Winter
Atria Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 03 Nov 2020
Description
The critically acclaimed author of the “bold, innovating, and thrilling” (Stephen King) novel The Twenty-Year Death and the “brilliant” (Booklist, starred review) novel Barren Cove returns with a dark and compelling mystery set in the near future.
Decimated by plague, the human population is now a minority. Robots—complex AIs almost indistinguishable from humans—are the ruling majority. Nine months ago, in a controversial move, the robot government opened a series of preserves, designated areas where humans can choose to live without robot interference. Now the preserves face their first challenge: someone has been murdered.
Chief of Police Jesse Laughton on the SoCar Preserve is assigned to the case. He fears the factions that were opposed to the preserves will use the crime as evidence that the new system does not work. As he digs for information, robots in the outside world start turning up dead from bad drug-like programs that may have originated on SoCar land. And when Laughton learns his murder victim was a hacker who wrote drug-programs, it appears that the two cases might be linked. Soon, it’s clear that the entire preserve system is in danger of collapsing. Laughton’s former partner, a robot named Kir, arrives to assist on the case, and they soon uncover shocking secrets revealing that life on the preserve is not as peaceful as its human residents’ claim. But in order to protect humanity’s new way of life, Laughton must solve this murder before it’s too late.
The Preserve is a fresh and futuristic mystery that is perfect for fans of Westworld and Blade Runner.
I absolutely LOVE this cover and thought about using it for my cover crush series. Isn’t it stunning and so fitting for the premise. I give the cover a five star rating!
Someone Like You by Karen Kingsbury
Atria Books
Pub Date 05 May 2020
Description
Science raises questions only love can answer in this moving and thought-provoking novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “heart-tugging and emotional” (Romantic Times Book Reviews) life-changing fiction.
One frozen embryo. Two families with life-long secrets. And a guy who never planned to fall in love again.
Maddie Baxter West is shaken to the core when she finds out everything she believed about her life was a lie. Her parents had always planned to tell her the truth about her past: that she was adopted as an embryo. But somehow the right moment never happened. Then a total stranger confronts Maddie with the truth and tells her something else that rocks her world—Maddie had a sister she never knew about. Betrayed, angry, and confused, Maddie leaves her new job and fiancé, rejects her family’s requests for forgiveness, and moves to Portland to find out who she really is.
Dawson Gage’s life was destroyed when London Quinn, his best friend and the only girl he ever loved, is killed. In the hospital waiting room, London’s mother reveals that London might have had a sibling. The frozen embryo she and her husband donated decades ago. When Dawson finds Maddie and brings her to Portland, the Quinns—her biological parents—welcome her into their lives and hearts. Maddie is comforted by the Quinns’ love and intrigued by their memories of London, who was so much like her. Is this the family and the life she was really meant to have?
Now it will take the love of Dawson Gage to help Maddie know who she is…and to help her find her way home.
I never get tired reading about this history! Should be interesting. -Stephanie Hopkins
The Templars
The Legend and Legacy of the Warriors of God
by Geordie Torr
Arcturus Publishing
History
Pub Date 03 Apr 2020
Description
Shrouded in myth and conspiracy, the history of the Knights Templar is little understood. Geordie Torr pulls fact from fiction, revealing the astonishing tale of this military-religious order that dominated the politics of the medieval Middle East.
Initially created to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land in the wake of the First Crusade, the Templars soon became an institution of incredible power, possessing wealth and influence throughout the courts of Europe. Yet just two centuries later they dramatically fell as its members were accused of heresy and burned at the stake.
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the wars between Christians and Muslims, this illustrated book brings to life the legacy of this secretive order and the characters who defined the era.
I adore images of birds and this one is fantastic! The colors, texture and composition is beautiful. Normally I’m not a fan of fonts over-whelming a book cover however the large fonts of the title and author’s name doesn’t take away from the bird image and I feel it adds depth. -Stephanie Hopkins 
Imagine a disease spread by ink. Interesting. The name, “Blot” is fitting. The stories overall themes are not my cup tea but nonetheless I’m sharing the book because of the cover design. Love the cover! -Stephanie Hopkins
Creating this page was more about having confidence in my art journey. To trust my process and growth in creating from the heart. Trusting myself to be authentic, and to reach further in my exploration of art.
I really enjoyed creating this art journal page with just using paper from a book, stencils and inks for the background. It gave me the perfect medium to journal my thoughts for the day to the upper and lower corners of the page using a Tombow Black Marker. The image in the middle is an ephemera tag I made a few weeks ago and I thought it perfect for this piece. the “Curtain Call” wording seemed fitting for my thoughts that day. Below is a quote I found online with the phrase. -Stephanie Hopkins
Last week I received another package in the mail from 
Millions of Christians worldwide celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that is what Easter Sunday means to us. It represents Jesus Christ’s triumph over death and eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him.
Layered Pages 